Improvement in process of facing wool hat-bodies with fdr



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Leners Parent No. 78,090, aas-May 19, 186s.

IMPROVEMENT N PROCESS OP FAGNG WOOL HAT-BODIES WITH PUR. I

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i TOALL WHOM IT MAY CONCEVRN: n .f Beit known that I, RALPH D. HINE, of Mattoawan, in the 'county of Dutchess, and State of New York, l

have invented a new and improved Method of Facing Wool Hat-Bodies with F.ur;yand I do hereby declare that `the following is a full and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled-in the art to which my invention appertains to make anduse the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which;- Y I The figure represents a section of a complete hat-body, with .the fur covering upon the outer or face-side, at B, and the under brim or fur facing at C. i

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts in the drawings. n

My invention has for its object to improve the method of facing wool hat-bodies with fur, in such a mauner that while all the durability'and beauty of a soft felted hat, made entirely of fur, are produced, the cost of manufacture is very .materially lessened; and it consists in covering the wool hat-body, taken directly from the Acarding-machine, with'fur upon its outer surface and, under brim, before said woolbody has been basined,

planked, or felted.- The body is then placed between cloths, and laid under a fiat board or jiggen'or any other suitable device in which a short, lia-pid,vibratoryV motion is combined with a slight pressure. This'operation unites the fur covering to the surface of the wool body, without shrinking or felting the latter, but, on the contrary, enlarging it nearly one-third. The' body is then shrunk into therproper size, in the. usual manner, by basining, planking, or falling, and'when completed, a solid'surface of fur is formed upon a wool body, equalin every respect tothe hat-bodies composed entirely of felted fur.- The fur surface is then ponnced with pumicestone, sand, or emery-a process necessary to complete a soft hat.

In felted'hats, as usually constructed, the fur id mixed or mingled with wool-Hock, and both blown together to form a body. By this methodibwill be seen that the fur and wool-Hock are so completely mixed together that the surface of the body is composed o'f both fur and wool, and therefore incapable of being finished with a solid fur surface. s

` lFelted hats have also been formed by blowing a quantity of iinefur o r stock upon the cone, toform the under brim; then a portion of coarse fur or stock blown'over the entire surface ofthe cone, covering the under W brim; and lastly, a portion of ne furor stock blown overl the entire surface of the coarse fur or stock,and

the whole hardened'tog'ether in the usual manner. u

By this process fur or stock only is blown to form the hat-body, as wool cannot be applied by the operation of blowing, neither can fur be blown upon the wool body,'if first laid or spread upon the cone, as the wool body so obstructs the pcrforations in the con-e as to render it incapable of holding the fur upon the surface ofthe wool.

This method `of forming a body, it will therefore be seen, results inthe formation of a solid fur hat, and not a wool body covered with a coating of fur. i 1

Stiff hats have 'been manufactured, having` the under side'of their brim faced with long fur, but the body of the hat was first shrunk or sized.l to the required dimensions, and the fur, `after having been bowed into abat, laid upon the'under side of the body, to form the under brimyand fastened thereto by striking or pounding the same with a brush'dipped in hot water. This process is called napping, and does not, when completed, form a. solidfur surface, but a nap only, irregularly distributed upon the under brim. It would, of course, be impos-` sible to pounce this nap, as such operation would entirely destroy it. n

It will be observed that this method relates only' to the construction of stiff hats, and `could not be applied to a soft felted hat, for the reason that, in order to produce the close, even surface of fur required, the hat must be pounced down, andthe fur reduced to such an extent in length, that the body of fur left would not be suiflcient toiform an even, solid surface. A

In the manufacture of stiff hats, another process has been employed, in which the' body or bat tofwool was` made in 'two parts by bowing. These parts or halves were united together at their edges by felting, and togetherv formedthe cone or body,'which was hasined or partially felted in the ordinarymanner. i A fur covering was then formed by the samepr'ocess, and also basined. The basined fur qcovering was then placed over thebasined wool with a. brush and Water, as hereinbefore described, and the basining lor planking proceeded With-until both were felted together.

This processbears no relation to my invention, as it is applicable to'stiii or brush' hats only, .and not to soft hats, .as known to the trade. It could not be used for the latter, as the fur, when put on the wool body, Vafter said body hasbeembasined, planlred, or felted, will'not vwork solid, but in irregularities and wrinkles.

In stiff hats the irregularities or wrinklesare not taken into consideration, .as the shellac or other agents used in stiffening iillthe interstices between the wrinkles. Moreover, the subsequent covering of nap screens them from observation. The presenoerof Wrinkles or graim in soft hats, would render them valueless and unsalable.

By basining or planking the wool and fur bodies separately, or before being united, they are partially felted, and therefore the subsequent process of b'asining or planking together to complete the hat-body, cannot form a perfect unity between the'two. By actual experiment, the fur'has been found to separate itself from the wool, and, as a consequence, entirely ruin the hat. It is obvious, therefore, that a softrehat cannot b'emade' by this process. l

My invention relates only to improvements upon the method of manufacturing soft hats, and although a covering of fur placed upon wool, both having been previously basin'ed or iplanked, has been used in themanufacture of stiif or brush hats, I have shown that it ca'nnot be used in the manufacture of soft hats. l

` My invention, then, consists in applying the bat of fur to the bat of Wool, taken directly from the carding I machine, before either has been shrunk, basined, planlred, er felted, and after causing them to adhere together.

by slight pressure, shrinking and felting them down to the required dimensions to form a solid', eren fur surface upon the outer side and under brim. l

By putting the fur upon the hatbedy before shrinking, basining, planking, or felting, the fur adheres more firmly to the Wool body, and, when feltcd down, makes a solid, perfect felt, with the fur surface free from grain or wrinkles.

The cost of manufacture is so far reduced by my process-as to supersede, inthe trade, the manufacture of hats composed entirely of fur. v

i I do not claim broadly the covering of a wool body with a body of fur, b ut having thus described my invention,

I What I do' claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, i's- In the manufacture of soft hats, applying a bat of fur to a bat of wool, taken directly from the cardingmachine, before either has been shrunk, basined, planlred, or felted, and after causing them to adhere together by slight pressure, shrinking and felting them down to the required dimensions to form a solid, evenfur surface upon the outer side and under brim., substantially as herein described.

, R. D.I-IINE.

Witnesses: i

WM. F. McNAMnRA, ALEX; F. ROBERTS. 

